Yoked and Muzzled Marriage 1915

Gertrude Kasebier made this photograph, Yoked and Muzzled Marriage, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, using a process rooted in darkroom alchemy. She's less concerned with sharp focus, and more into atmosphere. The photograph depicts two oxen restrained in a field, with two children standing to the side. What is this image really about? The material aspects of this work—the soft focus, the way the light kind of glows, and the grainy texture—all contribute to its dreamlike quality. It's like Kasebier is reaching for something beyond the surface. Look at the yoke connecting the two oxen. It's so literal, so stark, and yet the netting around their muzzles makes this tool seem fragile, almost ornamental. This photograph reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who sought a similar rawness in her images. The magic is in the space between what we see and what we feel.